THE RISE OF INNOVATION DISTRICTS

RALEIGH-DURHAM: RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARKUrbanized Science ParkvGRIFOLSRTI INTERNATIONALSIGMA XIPARK CENTERRESEARCH TRIANGLEFOUNDATIONSYNGENTAPROGRESS CENTERBD TECHNOLOGIESBASFFIDELITY INVESTMENTS1/4 mileRecognizing that the 20th century model of suburbanscience parks demands an update, ResearchTriangle Park (RTP) leaders are working to urbanizeportions of the 7,000 acre park and its environs.Hailed as a center of innovation since the late 1960s,by the mid-2000s RTP stakeholders became concernedthat the park’s sprawling structure and closedresearch environment could hinder its long termsuccess. In response, in 2012 the RTP foundationreleased a new 50-year master plan for physicallyremaking the area, with the purpose of both enticingworkers to live nearby, and keeping and attractingfirms that want to benefit from the “random collisions”that density and open innovation offer. “Manyof today’s knowledge workers expect amenities andopportunities to connect and share ideas in a sociallydynamic setting,” the plan observes. “The independentcampuses at RTP, mostly hidden behind trees,do not reflect this trend.”Build-out of the urbanization plan will begin withPark Center, a nearly 100 acre site at the heart ofRTP that will be redeveloped to include high-densityresidential and mixed-use buildings. RTP is also advocatingfor a new commuter rail system that wouldconnect the park to the downtowns of Raleigh andDurham.21